Shigure Akihito returned to the gym's locker room to change. Before he even stepped inside, he could already hear the unmistakable crunching of snacks—Murasakibara Atsushi's signature sound.
"That Kuroko Tetsuya, you know," Murasakibara drawled, his words muffled between bites.
"He's so weak~"
"Weak enough that I feel like testing how easy it'd be to crush him with my hands~"
Shigure immediately understood what Murasakibara meant. Despite his usual lazy, indifferent appearance, Murasakibara had always been deeply stubborn when it came to basketball.
His creed was simple: As long as you have talent, whether you like basketball or not doesn't matter. On the other hand, guys who love the game but have no talent… they're just annoying.
At Nationals, under the constant guidance of senior Fukaya Reiji and after facing repeated challenges that exposed the possibility of defeat, Murasakibara had reluctantly started learning proper technique. But when it came to his concept of "talent," he hadn't really changed.
He still despised players who lacked it.
The only shift was this:
Even if you don't care about basketball, if you're someone blessed with everything, then no matter how arrogant you are, at the very least you should have the pride not to lose to ordinary people.
After all, isn't it true that you don't start by "liking" something right away? Sometimes, all it takes to begin is just a spark of curiosity…
These words, given to him time and again by Fukaya-senpai—someone he deeply respected—had stirred something within Murasakibara.
That was the only change.
But what hadn't changed… was his irritation toward people like Kuroko Tetsuya, whom he still considered pathetically weak.
Nearby, Haizaki Shōgo, in the middle of pulling off his practice jersey, froze for a moment when he heard Murasakibara's comment.
He frowned, snapping back:
"Yeah, well, I feel the same way. You idiot, Murasakibara, just looking at your slow, slouchy self pisses me off! Next practice, wanna try me? Let's see if I can bite you to pieces."
Murasakibara cast him a cold glance, his eyes lingering on the bruises still visible from when Captain Nijimura had disciplined Haizaki earlier. After crunching down another snack stick, he muttered flatly:
"You're way too weak, Haizai. I could dunk right over you without even trying~"
"What?!" Haizaki bristled.
"Wanna test that?"
Midorima Shintarō immediately saw why Haizaki had exploded. Although he himself never got along with either of the two, when it came to Kuroko, his perspective was different.
Adjusting his tie neatly, he barked at them:
"That's enough, both of you! Kuroko Tetsuya may lack physical ability, but all of us saw his special ability during the evaluation match. No one objected at the time, did they? Then don't call him weak."
Beside him, Akashi Seijūrō nodded.
"Indeed. I had anticipated this from the start. As long as he possesses that ability, there's no issue with him remaining in the first team. The only problem is whether he can endure the minimum level of training required."
"That, ultimately, depends on him."
"And since both Shigure-senpai and Captain Nijimura recognize his potential, I see no problem. As for you, Murasakibara…" Akashi's gaze sharpened slightly.
"Whether you acknowledge Kuroko's talent or not, doubts will remain as long as you only observe from the sidelines. If that's the case, then experience it firsthand. Let him earn everyone's trust through an actual game."
"Through a game…?" Midorima blinked.
"You mean we're letting him lead us in an exhibition match?"
Akashi shook his head.
"Not an exhibition. The 'Ten Schools Tournament,' held for the top ten middle schools in the Tokyo district during the Interhigh preliminaries."
"It's not an official championship, but every year the passion it stirs far surpasses that of ordinary practice matches."
"Ah, that one…"
"Last year, during that very tournament, Shigure-senpai unveiled his new Formless Style and his dramatically improved passing, establishing the pecking order of Teiko's so-called 'Twin Stars,' right?"
Just then, Aomine Daiki, who had been hovering nervously by the door under the watchful eyes of two upperclassmen, finally stepped inside. His eyes lit up at what he overheard.
"Oh, I heard about that! That's next week, right?!"
Akashi nodded.
"Yes. But compared to other Tokyo teams, Teiko's overall strength—especially with our upperclassmen—is on an entirely different level. Because of this, there's always an unwritten restriction placed upon us. This year, once again, it will be first-years only."
At that moment, Shigure and Nijimura entered the locker room.
Nijimura swept his gaze across everyone before speaking:
"Up to now, all of you have had significant playing time at Nationals. But with us seniors present, none of you have yet played an entire game from start to finish. This tournament will be your chance, but remember—only first-years are allowed to play. It'll be a test of your stamina."
"Shigure and I will still travel with the team, sitting on the bench as emergency substitutes. But if any of you are actually replaced by us during the tournament, you'd better be prepared to face demotion."
"No exceptions."
"Also…" His tone hardened.
"Because of the first-year rule, Kuroko Tetsuya will be entering as a starting member. But given how he's struggled in first-team training… if he fails to prove his worth on the court, he will immediately be demoted back to the second team for adaptive training."
"This is the coach's decision."
Shigure quietly thanked fate that Kuroko hadn't returned to the locker room—had he heard this right after barely surviving his first day of first-team training, the blow would have crushed him.
Meanwhile, oblivious to the storm of discussion around his name, Kuroko Tetsuya was trudging pale-faced down the street, staring at the new email on his phone.
Kuroko, you got a phone? I just convinced my parents too—I finally got one myself! Now we don't have to write letters anymore. We can email each other directly!
Opening the message, Kuroko's exhausted face softened into a faint smile.
He typed his reply carefully:
"Ogiwara-kun, I finally made it into Teiko's first team. The training is much harder and longer than before, but I'll work even harder. I want to earn the chance to play in a real match."
END OF CHAPTER
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